This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from March 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Effective formative assessment can improve student learning. Explore how the use of infographics as a formative assessment strategy can both engage students and improve learning. This workshop will help you understand what infographics are, what makes them effective, and how powerful they can be when infused into content-area instruction. Infographic creation requires the application of a range of critical skills, such as synthesis, analysis, organization, and creativity. In order to summarize and convey information correctly, clearly, and concisely, students must understand the material and their audience. Join us and learn how to get started using infographics for formative assessment. Participants will: 1. Understand what infographics are and the elements that make them effective; 2. Explore strategies for using infographics to gather evidence of student progress; and 3. Plan for student use of infographics as formative assessment. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This site provides information on five of the world's primary biomes. Each section contains a short description, images, and locations of the biome. Also, each portion shares links to additional resources and books related to the biome. Information on the site provides a basic starting point for learning about biomes.

In the Classroom

Include this site with your resources for teaching about biomes. Share information from the site with students using an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Ask students to highlight details that identify that particular biome. No whiteboard? No problem! Use your projector and eMargin, reviewed here, to highlight and annotate as a class. As you learn about biomes, ask students to use Google Maps to locate and share information about biomes around the world or annotate images using ThingLink, reviewed here, to demonstrate features of biomes. Instead of a written presentation, ask students to share their knowledge of biomes using video creation tool like Powtoon, reviewed here. Powtoon makes it easy to create entertaining animated video presentations.

Practice vocabulary terms for biomes with this online crossword puzzle. Click a puzzle word to see the clue then type in your response. When complete, the puzzle shows correct responses in black and incorrect in blue.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Share this crossword on your interactive whiteboard to introduce your biome unit and assess prior knowledge. Have students use the words from the puzzle and find online images to use as examples of each definition. Ask students to create a ThingLink (reviewed here) using their images. ThingLink allows users to add annotated links to images including text boxes, video, and related links. Have students create their own crossword puzzle with terms related to your study of biomes. HTML 5 Crossword Generator (reviewed here) allows users of any technology level to easily create their own puzzles to solve online or download as a PDF document. Have students use Google Earth (reviewed here) to make a virtual field trip to a biome, then add interviews with scientists discussing the features and animals found in that location.

Tour some of the Smithsonian Museum's most treasured objects through 3D models and scientific missions. Through the use of 3D digitization techniques, the museum is rapidly adding content and collections to this site telling never-known stories about the museum's treasures. Use the site's search features to find models; some also include tours with additional information. Choose videos to learn how curators on the 3D team captured and shared information. Select the educators portion of the site to download an ebook interdisciplinary learning experience combining technology and history in the study of Abraham Lincoln. For help in using this site, be sure to visit the Getting Started portion including directions on how to use the tools. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos on this site may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as ClipGrab, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Take advantage of these many resources to take a virtual visit with your class to the Smithsonian Museum. View artifacts and tours together on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector then allow students to explore on their own. After viewing a tour, ask students to research a topic further. Instead of a written book report have students create an online quiz or game for fellow students using a quiz tool like Arcade Game Generator, reviewed here, or Quiznetic, reviewed here. Use a video response tool like Flipgrid, reviewed here, for student collaboration and sharing of research. Ask students to create their own virtual field trip using Google Earth, reviewed here. Have students add articles, images, and videos to locations featured on their virtual trip.

Learn the basics about the Temperate Forest biome with this site from Kids Do Ecology. Information includes weather, locations, and plants and animals found in this biome. In addition to facts about the Temperate Forest, this site includes a printable crossword puzzle featuring information about the biome.

In the Classroom

Include this site with your other biome resources. Share a link on classroom computers and your class website. View information from the site together on an interactive whiteboard or projector highlighting important information. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from this site using a tool such as Wordle, reviewed here, or WordItOut, reviewed here. At the conclusion of your biome unit, have students make an interactive multimedia poster using Visme, reviewed here.

Learn about the Savanna biome with this informative site from Kids Do Ecology. This site provides basic information about the location, weather, and inhabitants of this biome. Also, there is a printable crossword puzzle all about the Savanna.

In the Classroom

Include this site with other resources featuring biomes. Consider creating a Webmix (web-based screens of link "tiles") with all of your biome resources using Symbaloo, reviewed here. Share a link to your Symbaloo Webmix on your class website or classroom computers for easy student access. Use an online infographic creator, such as Canva, reviewed here, to create infographics including images and facts about biomes. Instead of asking students to create written reports at the end of your biome unit, have students create maps sharing locations and features of different biomes using Animaps, reviewed here. Students can add text, images, and location stops!

Learn about the characteristics of the Savanna biome with this overview featuring animals and plants found in the Savanna. Although the site is fairly simple, it includes some little-known facts about this biome.

In the Classroom

Share information from this site on your interactive whiteboard as an introduction to the Savanna biome. Ask students to use the tools on your whiteboard to highlight important information, then save your work on your computer to share on your class website. Ask students to participate in an online bulletin board, such as Lino, reviewed here, to reflect on what they are learning and collect information and images about the Savanna biome. Challenge students to create an annotated image sharing information about the Savanna or animals found on the Savanna including text boxes and related links using a tool such as Thinglink, reviewed here. Have students work in groups to create a virtual field trip to Savannas around the world using Google Earth, reviewed here.

Cabinet of Curiosities is a site created by the grandson of famed oceanographer Jacques Cousteau to introduce STEM careers to young people. Links within the cabinet take users to eight different categories including short video explanations by professionals within the field. Click on any image within the cabinet to view a short description of an item used for a STEM career and one or more videos. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as ClipGrab, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and save to use when exploring career options with students. Ask students to use information found on this site and others to create an infographic sharing information about a chosen career. Canva, reviewed here, offers many templates for creating infographics. To increase student knowledge of options within STEM careers, have groups of students create a weekly podcast sharing different career fields. Buzzsprout, reviewed here, is an online tool to use when creating and hosting podcasts.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from February 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Making a learning environment accessible for everyone is critical to a successful inclusive classroom. Today's classrooms are diverse and include English Language Learners and students with learning challenges, whether they have been identified or not. Every teacher needs to be able to create and deliver content in a way that is accessible to each individual student. Fortunately, teachers already have free technologies at their disposal to assist with this. Join us as we explore strategies and tools that facilitate an inclusive learning environment. Participants will: 1. Understand the importance of accessibility; 2. Explore Microsoft tools that can be used to create accessible materials; and 3. Identify an easy new habit, hack, and/or tool they can adopt to help make material accessible for their students. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from January 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Inspire technology integrated lessons for student learning based on web-based resources. Learn about the features and benefits of your free TeachersFirst membership. This session will briefly share how to find and use resources on TeachersFirst to help you save time. Remember, it is OK2Ask questions at any time! Participants will: 1. Explore TeachersFirst membership features; 2. Identify and share resources to support classroom instruction; and 3. Prepare to use the features of TeachersFirst membership to maximize student learning. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

The Time Now provides accurate synchronized time information from anywhere in the world. Add multiple locations to compare current local time. This site also features several tools including currency converters and travel information. This site meets Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG) standards by providing tools making content useful to all users including those with disabilities including sight impairments.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Bookmark (or save in your favorites) The Time Now on your classroom computers for students to use throughout the year. Find out the local time and temperature in countries as you study them and compare their local time to yours. Include time/date conversions for online conferences you will hold with parents who are deployed or traveling in different time zones. Share meeting dates/times for Skype sessions using the time conversions, so everyone is "on time." Find a partner classroom located in a different time zone and use The Time Now to compare local times throughout the day. Then create a collaborative class book with your partner class to contrast and compare what is happening in one area of the world compared to your partner. Use a tool like Book Creator, reviewed here, to create collaborative books including images, videos, and audio recordings.

Find links to several lesson plans teaching the concepts related to the tundra and ecosystems, aligned to standards, for grades K-8. The site includes four categories Tundra Animals and Plants, the Tundra Biome, Permafrost, and Predator/Prey and Food Webs. Also included is literacy integration through a virtual bookshelf.This site includes advertising.

In the Classroom

Include this site with your other materials for teaching biomes, specifically the tundra. Have students create a word cloud of the important terms they learn from these lessons using a tool such as WordItOut, reviewed here, or Word Clouds for Kids, reviewed here. Create a class wiki for your biome unit and divide resources by types of biomes. Not comfortable with wikis? Check out the TeachersFirst Wiki Walk-Through.

Explore and learn about biomes through this interactive resource from the biologists at Arizona State University. Choose a particular biome to read and listen to information describing the definition and characteristics of the biome. The show/hide words portion of each section provides definitions of vocabulary included in each part of the site. Other information on the site includes worksheets and coloring pages to print.

In the Classroom

Have cooperative learning groups create podcasts describing each different biome using the scientist's audio from the site as a model. Use a site such as Podcast Generator, reviewed here. Have students use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map of biomes from around the world (or country) with audio stories and pictures included!

Timeline Eons presents the history of the world from the Big Bang through current time on an interactive timeline. Additional events predict changes to the earth 22,000,000,000 years in the future. Scroll left or right to move through developments on the timeline or set the timeline to run automatically. Zoom in to view events or use the search feature to find specific events. Many events feature an illustration or photograph; others include a short video. When viewing on a computer, choose the link with three dots on the upper-left side of the screen to see information on the timeline's features.

In the Classroom

Have students explore the timeline on their own, then research and share information on any given period of time. Encourage students to view future predictions on the timeline as a research project to find the basis of the predictions. Have students create a simple interactive infographic sharing their findings using Easel.ly, reviewed here .

Miles of Ice Collapsing Into the Sea is a three part dispatch from a reporting trip to Antartica. Complete with images, text, and video, this site tells the story of scientists researching the collapse of vulnerable portions of the Antartic ice sheet. Scroll through the page to learn about the mission and research taking place.

In the Classroom

Include this interactive with any lessons on climate change, oceans, or weather. Be sure to help your weaker readers and ESL students by sharing the vocabulary words prior to reading, either on a handout or by projecting on an interactive whiteboard and highlighting them in the text as you come to them. Share the locations using Google Earth, reviewed here, and have students research other locations experiencing the effects of climate change.

See how the earth is changing by going backward and forward in the Climate Kids Time Machine. Choose a topic to begin from sea ice, sea level, carbon emissions, or average global temperature. Drag the slider on each timeline to view representations of change over the span of time.

In the Classroom

Share these timelines on your interactive whiteboard as an introduction to your unit on weather and climate change. Include a link to the site on your class webpage and classroom computers for students to explore on their own. Have students research causes for climate change, then make a multimedia presentation using Powtoon, reviewed here, or Sway, reviewed here.

Anyplace America provides an extensive resource of free topographical maps of the United States. Choose maps by water, land or man-made features, or browse maps featuring each state. Maps include local information including nearby points of interest, weather statistics, and photographs. Most also include a link to download a color PDF of the featured map. Google and the U.S. Geological Survey provide the maps used on this site.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site to use when teaching about landforms, bodies of waters, or geographic features. Be sure to create a link on classroom computers or your class website for students to access at any time. Have students use a mapping tool such as Click2Map, reviewed here, to create a map of local landforms with audio stories and pictures included.

Learn about six of the world's biomes then build a biome with this interactive activity. Use clues from the notebook and fact panel to choose the correct items to place in your biome. When finished, earn postcards for each biome built.

In the Classroom

Share a link to this site on classroom computers and your class website for students to play during your unit on biomes. Have cooperative groups choose a biome to explore further and create podcasts sharing features of their biome. Use a site such as Buzzsprout, reviewed here. Have students use a mapping tool such as Zeemaps, reviewed here, to create a map identifying locations of different biomes around the world.

This short, but informative, site shares information about the grasslands biomes. Learn about the differences between savannah and temperate grasslands. Explanations include detailed information on locations, climate, and vegetation found in each biome.

In the Classroom

Include this site with other resources when teaching lessons about biomes. The text portions may be challenging, so you should pair weaker readers with a partner as they research on this site. Have students create a simple infographic sharing their knowledge about grassland biomes using Visme, reviewed here.

Explore the grasslands biome in-depth with this article from Encylopedia Brittanica. Read through to learn about the origins of grasslands, the type of environment necessary to maintain a grassland, and common uses such as grazing and agricultural production. Be sure not to miss links near the top of the page to View All Media, and to Print, Cite, and Share the article.

In the Classroom

Before exploring the site as a class, download images of grasslands and have students identify the biome and its properties. The text portions may be challenging, so you should pair weaker readers with a partner as they research on this site. Include this site as a resource for your biome unit by sharing a link on your class website. Upon completion of your biome unit, have students make an infographic showing what they learned using Visme, reviewed here.